Landschaft mit Hirten und Schafen staffiert 

Here's an etching by Bartholomeus Pietersz. Barbiers, titled "Landscape with Shepherds and Sheep." The fine lines that describe the composition, the trees, the figures, and the animals were achieved through a meticulous, labor-intensive process. The artist would have covered a metal plate with a waxy ground before using a needle to draw through it, exposing the metal. The plate was then immersed in acid, which bit into the exposed lines, creating grooves. This process requires skill and patience, reflecting a world where artistic creation was closely tied to craft and manual dexterity. There's a clear relationship between the landscape shown and the work the artist puts in creating it. The resulting print, with its delicate lines and soft tones, invites us to consider the amount of work involved in both its production and the production of the land it represents. By appreciating the material and making, we can broaden our understanding of the artwork.